THE DESCENT INTO HELL IS NOT ALWAYS VERTICAL…
Sam Hudson, a reputable San Diego attorney, learns this when the authorities wrongfully convict him of the brutal rape and murder of his wife and daughter, and sends him to death row. There he awaits execution by lethal injection.
If he survives that long.
In prison, Sam fights for his life while his attorney works frantically on his appeal. It is then that he embraces the faith of his departed wife and begins to manifest supernatural abilities. Abilities which help him save lives– his own, those of his unlikely allies–and uncover the true killer’s identity, unlocking the door to his exoneration.
Now a free man, Sam’s newfound faith confronts him with the most insurmountable challenge yet. A challenge beyond vengeance, beyond rage, beyond anything Sam believes himself capable of: to forgive the very man who murdered his family, according to his faith. But this endeavor reveals darker secrets than either Sam or the killer could ever have imagined. Secrets that hurtle them into a fateful collision course.
BEYOND JUSTICE, a tale of loss, redemption, and the power of faith.
Faith and Fiction
By Joshua Graham
As a writer, finding the balance between a great read and inspirational themes is not always easy. The challenge is that you can’t always please everyone. So what’s a writer to do? The answer is simple: Write the best book you can with sincerity. Some will love it, some will hate it, but that’s the case for ALL books. To illustrate this fact, just look at the 5-star reviews and 1-star reviews for books written by your favorite bestselling authors.
Why write about faith? Well, for some authors (like me) it’s just a part of who we are. And to do so with sincerity, we need to know about that which we write. For example: John Grisham was and still is an attorney. So naturally he writes Legal Thrillers. Dick Francis was the son of a jockey and stable manager and left school at 15 without any qualifications, with the intention of becoming a jockey and became a trainer in 1938. Francis became a celebrity in the world of British National Hunt racing and won over 350 races, becoming champion jockey in the 1953–54 season. Guess what he wrote about?
If anyone meets me and talks with me for more than 5 minutes, they’ll also learn about my wife and family. Again, they’re such a part of my life that if I open myself personally to anyone, they’ll inevitably come up in the conversation. It would take effort to purposely not talk about them.
As the adage goes, write what you know.
Of course, what you know needs not dominate the entirety, or even majority of a novel. And though my faith is the most important part of my life, I try not to make it the major thrust of the plot or characters in my book.
Now depending on the market for which you write, it may be appropriate to make the faith aspect more central (Christian Fiction) or more peripheral (Mainstream Market). I’ve seen the latter done nicely in the works of C.S. Lewis, John Grisham, and Dean Koontz, to name but a few.
When I write, I invite people of all convictions to get into the world and characters of my story. Even if there is a faith element, I try to present all sides and let the reader decide for themselves what they wish to think/believe. I don’t have any agenda other than presenting a compelling book that stimulates discussion and leaves memorable impressions.
Connect with Josh at the following:
http://www.joshua-graham.com/
www.facebook.com/j0shuaGraham
Twitter:@J0shuaGraham
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